Teenage Engineering PO-33 K.O.

Got his Sampler (3 times), mainly for Amen-Breakage.
1) Record via audio-in or mic something u like (recod in doublespeed for double length).
2) Trim (a bit tricky) then Reclice automatic into 16 steps (nice!) or manualy (tricky) into 16 sciles
3) Copy parts into tonal mode
4) Have fun! :D

The step sequencer (up to 4 samples at same time playable) is very nice and offers true analog pitch, tonal play, filter (lpf, hpf, bandpass, notch) per track. steps are programmable (volume, pitch, lenght, retrig, filter, etc).

Trig in to synch with external clock.

The sound is very crunchy and has character. Stuff sounds rich lofy (90ies style). Has punch.

Very portable. Blug in hedphones or even use the speakers to jam around. You can punch in (careful) the slices like on an mpc or programm step by step.

With the built-in mic u can sampe anything. Quality is good (rich lofi).

It takes some time to get the trimming right, but onceu know this gear, u will know how to work.

Happy accidents happen. Very fun.

Do not get the silicone casing tho, it sucks (cant see the step leds at all). There are third party see through hard-cases which are better. I enjoy it without any casings.

If you want a rich lofi mutlipurpose sampler and slicer with instand workflow, this is the thing. GLHF :D

Since I found out about the pocket operators series, the one that I always wanted was a sampler, teenage made it so I bought it.
First of all, if you're looking for a sp 404 or a mpc for a fraction of the price, just forget about it, you're going to blow 100 bucks(its monophonic, 40 seconds of sampling time etc...).
This is a great machine, you can record through the built in microphone and then you can cut, pitch and throw a low/high pass filter to the sample. After that you can sequence all the sounds and you can chain sequences together in order to create a song or simply make a 16,32 etc step sequence.
Good: The effects are incredibly fun to use. After creating a sequence you can create a performance by using them.
Bad: the samples are divided in racks and you can't play a 2 samples from the same rack at the same time. For example, if you have in a drum rack a quick drum and a high hat, you can't play both at the same time, the last one added to the sequence will delete the previous sound in that step.
And the sequencer is 4 notes polyphonic, so when 4 samples are playing at the same time, if you add a 5th sample to the sequence in that step, one of the samples will stop playing. That can be a good or a bad thing, sometimes can mess up completely the sequence but other time can help to to create a dynamic sequence through out the time, by adding some samples, others fade away.
Other thing that might be upsetting: You can add samples to the sequence by 16 step mode or live mode. Even though its possible to record live to the sequence, what you play is quantized, so if you try to do something weird keep in mind that the sequencer can mess it up because will quantize what you play, regardless if you want it or not.
Conclusion: Is incredibly fun machine, if you use the limitation in your advantage, you can create really cool things with it.

I wanted something to take with me while traveling - small and battery-powered. And while i normally buy guitars here, i was looking for something different and dive into the world of samplers.
You hear good things about the PO-33 and I can only confirm. It is just so much fun to tinker with this thing.
No, i does not have the most versatile features, no, it does not have loads of memory, no, it does not have high audio quality. But that's not the point. This is a little sampler with its very own character. Its limitations - if you're going to compare it with full-size samplers - are actually what make it so fun and inspiring to use.
I can highly recommend this to anyone looking for a small, inspiring sampler.

This is the second po-33 I have purchased. I use it for quick sampling sounds out in the world and to create music on the go.

This device is one of the most fun I have ever used. It's lack of instructions can make it seem like it has a steep learning curve but once you understand the basic functions it is only a matter of time before you will become more skilled and learn all the tricks you need to create music.

The only downside to this device is that in order to make a backup of the samples and patterns you have created you need a way to record a stereo signal. You can easily record the audio output of the device using a mono interface if you just want to edit your music in a DAW or simple software like Audacity.

This remains one of my most heavily used and enjoyable instruments. I love the po-33 and cannot recommend it highly enough. A must have for anyone interested in sampling or mkaing music on the go.

I purchased some rechargeable AAA batteries to power my device so I would not have to use disposable batteries repeatedly.

Never having used a sampler before, I thought the PO-33 was a good jumping off point to figure out what this kind of thing could do. And it didn't disappoint.

So far I've used it mainly as a percussion tool, sampling everything from silverware hitting wood, to youtube videos of The Dead Weather recordings, and Orson Welles interviews. The built-in microphone is pretty darn good and should satisfy basic needs of just having fun when you're on the go, but to me it's the most interesting by connecting to my interface/computer/phone and recording whatever sound I can find and produce, then manipulating the hell out of it.

Of course, it isn't exactly hi-fi, but given the price point, it shouldn't be. Still, in a mix, you'd be hard-pressed to find anything as feature-rich as what this little monster that Teenage Engineering put out. It's fast becoming one of my favourite pieces of gear just because you can literally pull-off a full song out of it, with simple volume mixing controls, and an almost eternal string of sequences that you can program.

Basically, it looks like a toy, but it's became a mainstay of my production flow.

I've never use a pocket operator in the past and im not familiar with drum machines or a step sequencer, So... when i get in my hands po 33 i was so confused of how easy in use it was. In the official site of teenage engineering you can find everything about how it works and its functions. I use it for beats in my jams and i connected with my volca sample and minilogue and thats where it was a little confused but as i write above the site can explain everything.
the way you can sample a sound is very easy and you can trim, pitch, and set the start-end of the sound you add. I found that its better to add sound from another device via aux cable or a connected mic for external sounds and not of the po 33 mic.
Pros:
quantize, very easy use, so many functions, the size and the quality is unbelievable of how it looks in first place. Best part is the effects ... so much fun.

Cons:
The limitation of 4 sound polyphony and that you cant write different sound from the same drum rack.
The way it sync with other devices can be confusing

Overal:
very fun to play and so many uses to make you more creative for every use.

Endless fun to be had with this guy. I always grab it with me if I have to go on the road, since it's battery powered It can be taken anywhere. With a case it's a really solid piece of equipment that can even be introduced into larger setups (it punches way above it's weight imo), It can be synced to other Pocket Operators, and heaps of other outboard gear.
The workflow is great, you can sample and whip up a groove in just a couple of gestures, and the automatic slicing is super smooth. I've sampled some kits directly from my computer headphone output and it sounds great!
Just spend a little time to actually learn the ropes on this thing, and you will be all set.

Tricky to get used to all the menus, so in that sense has a somewhat steep learning curve. That said, the enjoyment of creating beats out of whatever you've just recorded is pure childlike bliss. I wanted something like this when I was 13 - record whatever noise you like, and it's instantly converted into a 16 note sampler. Beautiful. I did a bit of research and found that for the average consumer (like me) the KO was the best pocket operator to go for, as it offered the greatest flexibility of originality.

For sheer enjoyment level it's 10 out of 10, but as a serious music maker in a studio, I'm not so sure. When there's a DAW sitting in front of you, there's no competition. BUT, for on the road fun, it definitely beats mindlessly scrolling through social media.

Probably worth factoring in one of the TE cases too, unless you like the aesthetic of the pcb.

Oh, the only other thing worth mentioning is the fact that headphones are moving/have moved into Bluetooth only territory. Worth bearing in mind unless you fancy plugging your studio headphones in every time, my old iPhone headphones keep dissapearing...